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Lechon Kawali Recipe

Lechon kawali or Pan-roasted pork to some is different from Lechon, the well known Filipino dish which is also the national dish of the Philippines. While lechon is cooked in a pit filled with flamed charcoal, Lechon kawali is cooked by boiling then later deep frying a portion of the pig (pork belly usually) .

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By: Vanjo Merano 46 Comments Updated: 3/27/19

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Lechon kawali with a cup of rice please! This is my regular order at least once a week when I was in high school. Our school canteen serves one of the best versions of this dish. I like it best when the pork just got out of the pot. It is super crispy and hot.

What is Lechon Kawali

Crispy deep-fried pork is the simplest way to describe lechon kawali. Pork belly or liempo is the cut of pork usually used to cook it. This dish is best served for lunch or dinner with white rice on the side. It is also nice to have with dipping sauce.

This dish should not be mistaken with Lechon, which is considered as the national dish of the Philippines. Both dishes are prepared in a different manner. These also have different visual appearance.

Lechon kawali got its name from the type of cooking pan that is traditionally used to cook it, the Kawali. It is the typical pan that can be found in almost all Filipino household. This is the “goto” pan in everyday cooking.

I think that the term lechon was used as a comparison to the crispy texture of the traditional lechong baboy.

How to Cook Lechon Kawali

There are two processes involved in cooking lechon kawali. The first process involves boiling the pork belly, while the next is deep-frying until the skin becomes crispy.

Let’s talk about the boiling process first. This is necessary to achieve that crispy skin result. Simply frying pork without boiling will have a different outcome.

It is important that the pork belly gets really tender during this step. Start by boiling water in a deep cooking pot. I also add salt and other seasonings. The flavors are absorbed by the pork while boiling. The minimum amount of time is 30 minutes. Feel free to go beyond this time as necessary. This is also the same process when making crispy pata.

Deep-frying the pork belly makes the skin golden brown and crispy. Do this by heating oil on a deep cooking pot. Make sure to rub salt all over the boiled pork belly before frying. It helps provide more flavor.

Carefully put a piece of pork belly into the pan with hot oil and put your guard up always by holding the cover of the pot. Partially cover as necessary when hot oil starts to splatter. Covering the pot totally is not recommended because it traps the steam which forms into water. This causes oil to splatter more when it drips from the base of the cover. Cook in medium heat until the pork belly is crispy. Here is a good forum that talks more about preventing oil from splattering when frying.

It is recommended to turn the pork belly over to complexly fry the opposite side when not enough oil is used. This way, your lechon kawali is cooked uniformly.

Place the deep-fried pork on a wire rack and let it cook down. Chop into serving pieces. This is best served with lechon sauce. You can also use a mixture of soy sauce and calamansi as dipping sauce.

Try this Lechon Kawali Recipe. Let me know what you think.

Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure tag us on Instagram at @panlasangpinoy or hashtag #panlasangpinoy so we can see your creations!

4.80 from 10 votes

Lechon Kawali Recipe

This is a recipe for lechon kawali or crispy deep fried pork belly.
Prep: 10 minutes minutes
Cook: 50 minutes minutes
Total: 1 hour hour
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Ingredients

  • 2 lbs. pork belly
  • 2 tablespoons salt
  • 2 tablespoons whole pepper corn
  • 5 pieces dried bay leaves
  • 3 cups cooking Oil
  • 34 ounces Water
US CustomaryMetric

Instructions

  • Pour water on cooking pot. Boil
  • Add the pork belly and 1 tablespoon of salt. Put some pepper pepper and bay leaves. Boil for 30 minutes or until meat gets tender
  • Remove the meat from the pot and let it cool down for a few minutes
  • Spread 1 tablespoon of salt on the pork belly. Make sure to distribute it evenly on all sections
  • Start to deep fry the boiled meat. Heat oil on a cooking pot.
  • Put each piece of boiled pork belly into the hot oil with extra caution. Fry until crispy. Turn the meat over to completely fry the opposite side until crispy. Note: be extra careful when frying as oil can splatter. You can use the cover of the pot to cover it while oil splatters, but do not cover completely as steam will be trapped. It will cause more splatters.
  • Remove the meat from the cooking pot. Arrange on a wire rack to cool down.  Slice according to desired portions
  • Serve with lechon sauce. Share and Enjoy!

Nutrition Information

Serving: 6g Calories: 893kcal (45%) Carbohydrates: 2g (1%) Protein: 14g (28%) Fat: 91g (140%) Saturated Fat: 30g (150%) Cholesterol: 108mg (36%) Sodium: 2382mg (99%) Potassium: 324mg (9%) Fiber: 1g (4%) Vitamin A: 85IU (2%) Vitamin C: 0.8mg (1%) Calcium: 34mg (3%) Iron: 1.5mg (8%)
© copyright: Vanjo Merano

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Vanjo Merano

Vanjo Merano is the creator of PanlasangPinoy.com. His goal is to introduce Filipino Food and Filipino Cuisine to the rest of the world. This blog was the first step that he took.

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Recipe Rating




  1. Noel M. Yabut says

    Posted on 12/28/24 at 12:17 pm

    5 stars
    Crispy

    Reply
  2. Mary Ann Arciaga says

    Posted on 8/24/24 at 7:40 am

    4 stars
    Stumbled on this recipe just today. Already boiling the meat. Can’t wait to fry. ☺️ thank you for sharing.

    Reply
  3. Amie says

    Posted on 11/18/23 at 6:05 am

    5 stars
    Thanks for your recipe good for pang baon

    Reply
  4. Ting De leon says

    Posted on 10/29/23 at 5:30 am

    5 stars
    I’m trying this to pork liempo and I added fresh chili on the marinate before frying it to make it as Spicy Fried Liempo.

    Reply
  5. John Miller says

    Posted on 8/31/23 at 3:05 am

    5 stars
    Delicious, and very easy. I now make this all of the time. Taste, texture, it’s all perfect, just the right salty taste. It goes amazing with a slightly sweet soy sauce and vinegar dipping sauce.

    Reply
  6. carmen casal says

    Posted on 7/21/23 at 11:43 pm

    5 stars
    will try this tonight and see how I go

    Reply
  7. Maricar says

    Posted on 5/23/23 at 4:32 am

    5 stars
    How to make Liver Sauce

    Reply
    • Vanjo Merano says

      Posted on 1/1/25 at 11:21 am

      Try this recipe https://panlasangpinoy.com/sarsa-ng-lechon-sauce-recipe/

      Reply
  8. big lenchonk enjoyer says

    Posted on 3/15/23 at 2:03 pm

    5 stars
    so good lechonk

    Reply
  9. beckandbulow says

    Posted on 1/26/21 at 5:17 am

    5 stars
    Excellent

    online meat available at beckandbulow

    Reply
  10. allan J. provindido says

    Posted on 7/25/20 at 11:22 pm

    4 stars
    l learned to cook due to lock down this covid 19 pandemic era and I found your cooking illustrations very clear and educational. Each time I cooked meals I always refer to your website. No other cooking illustrations as detailed and as good as yours.

    Thank you and more power to Panlasang Pinoy!

    Allan Pro
    Subic Bay, Philippines

    Reply
  11. Vanessa says

    Posted on 12/26/19 at 10:54 pm

    Thank you kuya vanjo for this recipe. I will try this lechon kawali this new years eve. And Im sure my mom will like it. Godbless po.

    Reply
    • Vanjo Merano says

      Posted on 12/27/19 at 10:37 am

      You are welcome

      Reply
  12. Teresa S. Pangilinan says

    Posted on 4/7/19 at 2:57 pm

    You are truly an angel . I am more appreciated by my employer because of the food I prepare for them. They thought I am an awesome cook. That is because I apply your recipes lol. Thanks a lot. You are of great help to me. I hope to meet you in person someday so I could thank you personally. Thanks again. God bless

    Reply
  13. Roseller says

    Posted on 12/29/15 at 1:45 am

    I’ll cook this on new year’s eve..

    Reply
    • Emma Dempsey says

      Posted on 6/12/24 at 1:27 pm

      Can I use an AIR FRYER instead of deep frying? What temperature, how long, what setting. Thanks in advance

      Reply
      • Vanjo Merano says

        Posted on 1/1/25 at 11:24 am

        Yes you can. Please refer to this recipe and use the same setting with the air fryer https://panlasangpinoy.com/turbo-crispy-liempo/

  14. dante says

    Posted on 3/31/12 at 8:31 pm

    HI,thanks a lot to your video tutorial,it really helps,mabuhay po kayo.

    Reply
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As a huge fan of Filipino food, it is my goal to teach people how to cook it using the simplest way possible. Prepare your taste buds for an ultimate showdown of delectable Filipino dishes! Read more…

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